FDA Clears New Dexcom G7 15 Day Continuous Glucose Monitoring System
Pharmacists have positive impacts on health outcomes for diabetes and patients using CGM devices, including reductions in A1c.
The FDA cleared the new Dexcom G7 15 Day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System for patients 18 years and older with diabetes. The device builds on the performance of other Dexcom CGMs and has an overall mean absolute relative difference (MARD) of 8%, which increases the accuracy over other CGMs.1
Pharmacists have positive impacts on health outcomes for diabetes and patients using CGM devices, including reductions in A1c. | Image Credit: Dulin - stock.adobe.com
“The approval of Dexcom G7 15 Day marks another major innovation for Dexcom,” Jake Leach, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Dexcom, said in a news release.1 “By listening to the needs of our users, we’re proud to offer the longest lasting wearable and most accurate CGM, giving people the knowledge to better control their diabetes with our best-in-class technology. This milestone sets a new standard in CGM and is a testament to our continued leadership in glucose biosensing.”
The newly cleared device lasts approximately 15.5 days of wear and includes features from the Dexcom G7, which include sensors connecting to an Apple Watch, is waterproof, has a 12-hour grace period to replace finished sensors, and has the ability to share data with caregivers.1
“Dexcom G7 15 Day makes managing diabetes even easier with its extended wear and greater accuracy,” Satish Garg, MD, from the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said in a news release.1 “Data recently released during the 18th International Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes conference in Amsterdam supports that G7 15 Day is the most accurate CGM for adults.”
In 2 separate studies, pharmacist-led CGM interventions significantly improved outcomes for patients with diabetes. In one study, investigators from North Carolina conducted a study between October 2021 and April 2022 that implemented a pharmacist as part of the CGM workflow. Pharmacists initiated initial chart reviews and patient CGM data and indicated any therapy changes. Investigators found that the average hemoglobin A1c decreased to 7.1% from 8.3% at baseline. Of 30 patients, 22 had an improvement of A1c, with an average reduction of 2.1%. There were approximately 100 medication changes implemented by the pharmacist.2
In an additional study, pharmacist-led CGM programs had positive impacts on health outcomes, including reductions in A1c. The investigators found a significant change in median A1c with the pharmacist-led intervention from baseline to 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. The maximum number of interventions over 12 months was 18 for 1 patient, and 7 patients did not receive any medication interventions. Furthermore, the authors reported that, due to the intervention, the point reduction was 50% higher for months 3 and 6 and 100% higher at months 9 and 12 compared to the use of CGMs alone.3
Pharmacists can also counsel patients on ways to improve the functionality of the device. Physical placement of the CGM, compression lows, and understanding time-in-range can all affect how accurate the device is. Counseling and education are important roles for pharmacists in diabetes care, specifically for CGMs.4
READ MORE: Diabetes Resource Center
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